Cheap Chicks And The City

We are just 2 chicks looking for great eats, fun events, and good deals! We found Edmonton to be full of hidden gems, but not a lot of people know about them…which sparked this blog.
We want to make you fall in love with Edmonton, despite the -40° winters, potholes, and no mountains. Edmonton is full of missed treasures, and we want to share them with you!
You will find affordable places to eat, shop, travel, and just have fun!

Remember that scene in the movie The Wedding Planner when everyone goes to the park and watches a movie outdoors. I don't know about you but I thought that was the coolest event ever! So when Carly told me that they do that here in Edmonton I was uber excited to go! We've been talking about it since spring; planning to go and then post about it, and then the first 2 dates came and Carly was away. Then the second 2 dates came and I was away. Then finally last week the stars aligned in our favour and we made it out to a Movie in the Park event in Sherwood Park!

The event was hosted by ATB financial and held at Festival Place, and included popcorn and a drink as well as activities and prizes for the kids before the movie started. The movie was UP! Great movie! Full of laughs and heart as all Disney movies should be. Even if you don't get a chance to catch it in the square I highly recommend seeing it. The movie was played on a giant inflatable screen and everyone came and set up their folding chairs on the lawn in front of it. The kicker of the night - we got a little hungry just before the movie started so we called and had a pizza delivered to the park! And the best part for the cheap chicks? The whole event was FREE (with the exception of the pizza)!

From my research it looks like the outdoor movies come in two varieties. Movie on the Square held at Churchill Square right here in the city, and Movie in the Park which has held various events around the province. The next scheduled events are being held by Movie on the Square Friday September 4th and Saturday September 5th. The movies start at 8pm but they recommend that you "come early to grab a seat and some snacks, and enjoy pre-movie entertainment including a fabulous balloon artist, dancing, prizes and much more!" Events begin an hour in advance. So grab your lawn chairs and a blanket if it's cool and head out to see Kung Fu Panda tonight or UP! tomorrow night - pizza optional.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

It's the weekend for Heritage Festival! It's really what sets August and this year, we can thank the weather because it's supposed to be super sunny! $25 you get 30 tickets, not bad!

No plans on a Friday night? Why not come out for a wine tasting? It's been featured on City TV and it's organic! For $10, it will give you admission and a glass of wine! Check it out here!

After wine tasting, come over because they're playing Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa tonight and Kung Fu Panda tomorrow at 9:30 pm at Sir Winston Churchill Square! It's totally free so come grab a seat & some snacks, there will be dancing, prizes and stuff! Check out Movie on the Square.

I know this is early, but for those planning, the next buffet at Padmanadi is going to be on August 12 from noon to 10 pm.

Wow, with all the festivals, I'm not sure how we are keeping track! From August 13-23, come over to the Fringe and check out all the plays they have! You may even get to go to some for free :)

Feeling a little blue that summer might be over soon? Check out the Labatt Blues Festival at Hawrelak Park on August 21-23!

And just incase you're not festivaled out yet by the end of August, you might want to check out the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival that weekend too! (August 21-23) Cheer on your favoriate team or just hang and enjoy a drink or two!

What? There's more? Yup! If you can cram more into that weekend, come out and check out the Tattoo and Arts Festival at the Shaw Conference Centre. Maybe if you're feeling brave, you can get inked there!

The Italian Centre is having their official Grand Re-opening on Sunday, August 23 from 11 am to 4 pm. They've renovated so come out and check out the new digs in little Italy!

We know we know, we haven't been quite consistent with the once a week post! We deeply apologize! With summer and all...well, you know how it is! We'll try to make it up to you these coming weeks, so please bear with us!

I've never been a big fan of desserts, so while cinnamon buns are great (the icing is the best part, right?), they're definately not my favorite. We always go to Cinnabons (is that what it's called?) and buy like a dozen huge ones, end up freezing them, and they never really taste the same. Plus Bryan always end up finishing them before I even get to have 2!

Amanda, Bryan, and I went to the Sugarbowl one day quite by accident. We were supposed to go to the High Level Diner for brunch. We got to the Diner and brunch was over! Grumbling while walking back to the car, we were contemplating where they would serve brunch at 2 in the afternoon on a Sunday. And there it was - the Sugarbowl! Never heard of it, never tried it, so what the heck, we were hungry!

The first thing they told us was that the cinnamon buns were sold out. Amanda eyed the table next to us and said, "they must've gotten the last one! Look at how big it is! We have to come back!"

Not long after that, I read in a local magazine that these cinnamon buns are one of the must haves here in Edmonton. Needless to say, Cheap Chicks needed to go and investigate!

Sugarbowl is in a convenient location - close to Whyte Ave and close to the University. The atmostphere inside is super laid back with more varieties of beer than I could count - but that's for another post!

We went there bright and early one day, incase these cinnamon buns were going to be sold out again. The prices were right up our alley - they were only $3.50 each or $2.50 for half (but why bother? For $1 more, you can just get the whole one and pack half home!). When the cinnamon bun came, it didn't disappoint! It was HUGE! Like two-fist size! Unlike other cinnamon buns we've had, these ones had no icing. I was already a little worried - no icing? Really?

One bite into it, and I knew I could never go back to the way things were. These cinnamon buns were fresh and hot right from the oven! They were crispy on the outside coated with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar, and super soft and a little bit gooey on the inside. Love butter? It just melts so nicely along the edges and add that extra yummy goodness to what's already perfection.

I have been raving about these cinnamon buns to my friends ever since. Just the other day, someone asked me if I held shares in this restaurant! For the record, I don't. I just really really love them!

With a cup of coffee, the total came to about $6 each with plenty to take home to enjoy later. Don't worry, a few seconds in the microwave or warm up in the oven, it's just as good as fresh! Not bad for a complete breakfast! You also have the option to add a fruit salad for those who feel guilty afterwards. But really, starve afterwards if you must, but set aside a morning to have one! I swear once you try these, you'll say goodbye to the old ones and never look back!

Oh, and we just found out today that they have increased their limit to 3 cinnamon buns per person, so buy one for yourself, one for your spouse, and one for your friends just because you love them that much!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Where: From Within Wellness CentreLocation: #126, 6104-172 St.Price: $5/class if you pre-register or $10 for drop inWebsite: http://www.fromwithin.ca/yoga.htm

The first time Carly suggested I go to yoga I turned her down flat. For those of you who don't know me...I am not bendy. Never have been. Once my massage therapist told me that I was the least flexible person he had ever met and he understood why I was having problems with my back. I wanted to tell him that I knew why I was having problems too. It might have something to do with the giant Ford F350 that rammed into my friend's tiny Geo Metro while we were in it, but I held my tongue. Then one day Carly achieved the seemingly unachievable, she convinced me to try yoga! The clincher for me was that I had just moved here and Carly was the only person I knew, but a big factor in my decision was that she found us a class for beginners!

I was a little nervous for my first class not knowing what to expect. We arrived a little late so we hurried into the studio and set up our mats just in time. We started in a seated position with some basic relaxation and breathing, and then moved onto the hard stuff, which to my disbelief wasn't as hard as I expected! I was doing yoga! And the part the that I was most worried about, that people would know I can't touch my toes, didn't even phase me because no one was looking. Everyone, including myself, was so busy breathing correctly and working through the pose that no one had time to see what other people were doing.

Over the weeks that followed I definitely felt my flexibility improve with each class, my back bothered me less frequently, maybe my massage therapist was onto something, and I just felt better overall!

The cons - From Within Wellness is WAY on the west side.The pros - $5 per class is virtually unheard of for yoga!Overall review - If you are thinking of taking up yoga and have never done it before I highly recommend making the trip out. I know that if I had gone to a regular class and had a bad experience I wouldn't have gone back, but I definitely found this class manageable and challenging at the same time. The instructor was hard enough on us that I felt there was further for me to go and easy enough on us that I didn't feel like I would never be able to do it.

From Within Wellness also offers other yoga classes as well as belly dancing classes, massage, and even yoga training. Also From Within has recently undergone a renovation, so please go check out their new facility and report back to us with your thoughts.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

*One of my friends has a cupcake stand at the St. Albert Farmer's Market this Saturday, June 27 from 10 am to 3 pm. She will have 4 kinds of cupcakes (her icing is the best in town!) and 4 kinds of cookies (yummy chewy goodness!). Her company is called Buttercupcakes - check her out! Let her know you found her through here...maybe you'll get a free sample!

*They're offering an incredible discount for manicure/pedicures this weekend and next weekend! $20 for manicure, and $25 for pedicure. Check out her schedule here.

*My friend's dad is an artist, and him along with a few others has an exibition at the Centre d'arts visuels de l'Alberta. They have acrylics, watercolors, and mixed media & drawings. Go check it out, it's free!

*The Audrey Ochoa Trio will be performing at Sobey's (downtown) on Friday and the Wafer Thin Mints will be performing on Saturday. Go for a buck a shuck and a bucket of 4 beers for $12!

*It's Edmonton International Jazz Festival Week! Click here for their schedule! On Saturday they have a free event called Jazz in the Park, and you know Cheap Chicks love free!

*This is a bit of a shameless plug - but my husband and I are putting on an Abundance Game on Sunday, June 28 at 1 pm at our place for $2! Click here to register.

*The next buffet at Padmanadi is on Canada Day on July 1! Come out at lunch or at dinner for the most delicious vegetarian food you've ever had!